In the dim palace, only a few green oil lamps emitted light, giving people an indescribable feeling of depression.

The space of the palace here is extremely large. A giant pillar that is hundreds of feet high supports the entire palace. There are prison cells hanging along the way, connected to them are black chains. At the end of the chains are souls with glowing halos. All of them have painful expressions on their faces, and their souls are constantly dimming, as if the origin of their souls is constantly being extracted. However, the cages around them have the effect of stabilizing their souls, making it impossible for them to commit suicide. They can only be kept in the prisons like livestock.

In such a situation, it is really impossible to live or die.

And on the huge pillar, there were strange patterns, which would flicker once or twice every few breaths, just like the human body's breathing, but what it absorbed was not the energy of heaven and earth, but the origin of these souls.

Dozens of souls with evil spirits floated around the giant pillar, like machines, constantly taking out souls from a black pocket and putting them into the empty cage.

On some of the stone pillars surrounding the palace, one can vaguely see some dark shadows sitting cross-legged. These figures are all surrounded by black mist. As the mist inhales and exhales, an eerie air permeates the air, making the atmosphere of the palace even more depressing and eerie.

"Huh?" Suddenly, a thin figure in the center opened his eyes, looked at the two people approaching quickly outside the palace, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The people who came were the Iron Protector and the Eagle Protector.

These two were new protectors who had been promoted in recent years and had appeared before the Elder. Therefore, Protector Lin, who was in charge of the daily affairs of the palace, recognized them.

"How come you came back so quickly? Did you gain something again? The Black Horn Region is really a good place~" Protector Lin slowly stood up, floated over, and joked with a hint of mockery on his lips.

Unlike the usual servility, this time the Iron Guardian and the Eagle Guardian seemed to be more confident. They ignored the tone of the Lin Guardian who was trying to get something for free money and said directly, "Please tell the Lin Guardian that we two would like to see the elder."

"See the elder? If there is no reason, I dare not disturb the elder's rest." Protector Lin frowned slightly and said in a deep voice.

This branch hall is in charge of the Black Horn Region and the Northwestern region. There are three elders in charge. Even two years ago, a great man of the Heavenly Venerate level came here. It seemed that the other party had received some orders and came here to look for someone. Unfortunately, several years have passed, and the guardians and soul messengers of the Soul Hall have not found that person.

After all, the Black Horn Region and the Northwest Region are too large, and looking for someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Besides, the boy back then might have grown up now, and his face and body shape might have changed.

"We found the young master." The Iron Protector said slowly in a low voice.

"What young master...wait, what did you say?!"

Dharma Protector Lin was stunned when he heard the words, then he reacted and his expression changed immediately. Unlike the two little Dharma Protectors who knew nothing, he had been the daily manager of the branch temple for a hundred years, so he knew much more information than the other party. It seemed that the Heavenly Venerable came to the branch temple this time under the order of a big man above.

Anyone who can command a great figure at the level of the Heavenly Venerate must have reached that level of strength.

Fighting Saint... Just thinking about it makes my heart tremble.

"Where are the people?!" Guardian Lin asked hurriedly without caring about anything else.

"..."

The Iron Protector and the Eagle Protector both remained silent and did not answer the question asked by the Lin Protector. They were also worried that their credit would be snatched away, so they had already agreed on the way that they would not say anything unless they saw the elder.

Lin Hufa naturally noticed the two people's little thoughts, and immediately snorted coldly: "I hope you really found it!"

After saying that, he turned and flew towards the interior of the palace.

It is a place for the elderly to go into seclusion. For Dou Zun-level figures, apart from daily travels and adventures, they choose a place to go into seclusion most of the time, and each seclusion lasts at least several years.

For a Dou Zun who has a lifespan of nearly a thousand years, a few years pass by in a flash.

Soon after Protector Lin entered.

A ghostly figure suddenly appeared in front of the Iron Protector and the Eagle Protector. There was no warning of his appearance, as if he had been standing there for a long time. He was wearing a black robe, and his eyes were slightly fluctuating. Just looking at the Iron Protector and the Eagle Protector, there was an indescribable sense of oppression, as if the space around him had become solid with the person in front of him, making it impossible to move.

"Where are the people?" the visitor asked indifferently.

As the other party finished speaking, the space around them seemed to tremble slightly, and the Iron Protector and the Eagle Protector were directly oppressed and bent down.

Iron Guardian swallowed his saliva, and respectfully took out a jade token from his ring, raised his hands high, and said, "Respected Elder, this is what the young master asked us to bring back. He is currently in the Black Horn Region, and it seems that he has something to do, so he did not come back with us. According to the young master, he is not suitable to have anything to do with the Soul Palace at the moment, and it seems that he has something to do."

The man in black stretched out his hand and clenched it slightly, without any energy fluctuation, and the jade token held high by the Iron Protector fell into his hand. As a powerful soul power swept through, all the information in it was transmitted to his mind, causing his eyes to focus slightly.

"I didn't expect that the old guy is not dead yet, and now he has fallen into the hands of the young master. Interesting~" After reading the message on the communication jade card, the man in black had a gleam of brilliance in his eyes and muttered to himself.

The Iron Protector and the Eagle Protector lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.

The black-clothed man's majestic aura subsided, and he smiled slightly, seeming to be in a good mood. He looked at the Iron Guardian and the Eagle Guardian and said calmly, "You did a good job. I will commend you for this. The branch hall master can help you improve your strength, and you can freely choose a piece of land as a hunting ground."

"Thank you, elder!" Iron Protector and Eagle Protector were overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly bowed in response.

As the words fell.

The man in black had disappeared from the spot. He came here to look for Yao Yan. No, it should be Hun Yan. Now that he has found the person, he can also report to Lord Hun Xuzi. And the news that Yao Lao is still alive seems to be quite interesting. According to the other party's meaning, Hun Yan seems to be planning to follow Lord Hun Xuzi's old path.

They are indeed worthy of being master and disciple.

The man in black was none other than the Soul Palace's Jiu Tian Zun Mo Yu, whose strength was at the peak of the Seven-Star Dou Zun level. Therefore, he knew a lot about the Soul Clan and had met Hun Xuzi several times. Therefore, the task of searching for Yao Yan fell on him. After getting the accurate information, he did not dare to delay and returned to the secret room, where he crushed the communication jade token that Hun Xuzi had given him.

"Click~"

As the jade token shattered, a wisp of black flame instantly emerged. At the same time, the space seemed to be swallowed up, revealing a whirlpool-like opening. The next moment, a phantom surrounded by black flames appeared in front of Mo Yu.

"Found it?" Hunxuzi raised his eyes slightly, his voice indifferent and without any ripples.

"Sir, this is the jade token that the young master sent me." Mo Yu nodded and handed the token to Hunxuzi respectfully. Hunxuzi read all the information in the token with his soul power. Suddenly, his eyes showed some emotion and his face showed some surprise. He whispered, "This kid is really lucky. It seems that the skills I prepared for him were in vain... Tsk, Yao Chen actually has such a skill in his hands."

"Sir, the Burning Technique seems to have been obtained by Yao Chen from an ancient relic. In the past, old man Mu Gu even fought with him for this technique." Mo Yu and old man Mu Gu were both elders of the Soul Palace, so they naturally knew some secrets.

The Burning Technique sounds extremely special, but in the eyes of truly powerful people, this technique is a scam.

It is ridiculous to actually think that the strange fire can be used as food for evolution. However, Han Feng is willing to risk his life for it. In the end, his greed overwhelms his rationality.

It is not so easy to find the strange fire, let alone devour it.

However, Yao Yan was lucky. In just a few years, he collected all four kinds of strange fires and even successfully swallowed two of them, raising his strength to a four-star Dou Huang. This cultivation speed was not slow even among the Soul Clan.

You have to know that Yao Yan doesn't have many resources for cultivation, which is far less than those talented disciples supported by the Soul Clan.

“It doesn’t matter what the technique is like. Whether it suits you and whether you can practice it successfully is the key. He can get this technique, has the courage to practice it, and succeeded in practicing it. It’s not in vain that my teaching was made. The road of practice, after all, you have to rely on yourself. This kid actually has the courage to plot against a peak Nine-Turn Dou Zun. Then let him be. I also want to see if he can go that far, hehe~” Hunxuzi’s mood seemed to be much higher, as if he was thinking of his past.

Now that his apprentice has embarked on the same path as him, how can he not feel excited?

As for the value of the Burning Decree, high-level Douluo such as Hunxuzi obviously had no interest in it. Not to mention the fact that there were only so many Strange Fires, even if he really brought this technique back to the clan, it was estimated that the old guys in the clan would not agree to their talented disciples practicing it.

What's more, Yaoyan is still his disciple, so as a teacher he naturally has to protect him.

"Please help me pass a message to him. I'm waiting for him in Zhongzhou. He can do whatever he wants. No matter what happens, I'll cover him!" Hunxuzi smiled indifferently, gave instructions, and his figure slowly sank into the space.

He had no intention of coming to see Yao Yan. After all, as the Soul Clan's number one alchemist, he couldn't leave because a group of people were waiting for him to make pills.

As everyone knows, the Soul Palace and the Alchemists are mortal enemies.

"Yes!" Mo Yu bowed and responded.

"You have done a good job. I will give you this pill." Before leaving, Hunxuzi grasped the void and a bottle of pill appeared out of thin air. As he waved his hand, it floated in front of Mo Yu. With his level of strength, spatial distance has never been a problem and he can easily tear it apart.

Who made the space of Douqi Continent as fragile as a young wife, unable to withstand any tossing?

As the pill was thrown out, his figure completely disappeared and the surrounding space returned to normal.

"Thank you for the reward, sir!"

Mo Yu could not hide the excitement in his eyes. With Hun Xuzi's status, the elixir that the other party rewarded him was at least of the peak eighth grade, which was enough to help him break through his current level easily. You know, he has been stuck at the peak of Seven-Star Dou Zun for nearly a hundred years!

"Perhaps I should make friends with this young master..." Mo Yu held the pill in his hand, his eyes slightly fluctuating as he thought to himself.

He didn't know whether the young master needed guards, but he felt that he should be able to do it.

If it really doesn't work, he can also call on his sworn brother, the Eight Heavenly Prisoners. The other party has many old grudges with Yao Chen, so perhaps he can call on him to plot against Yao Chen this time.

……

……

Yao Yan didn't know how Hunxuzi would react. He was pursing his lips at the moment, looking at Cai Lin in his arms with some pain, and said jokingly, "You bite so hard... Fortunately, I have thick skin~"

Cai Lin's pretty face turned slightly red, but she pretended to be cold and turned her head away, not bothering to pay attention to Yao Yan, the scoundrel. Did he really think she couldn't bear to beat him up? !
"Have you hugged me enough?" she asked coldly.

"No~"

Yao Yanzhi said confidently that he really liked looking at Cai Lin's arrogant look, especially when you are stronger than her, her conflicted expression of wanting to bite you to death but not being able to, is really interesting.

As soon as he finished speaking, he tightened his arms a little more, hugged that slender and enchanting waist, and felt the warmth and softness in front of her. For a moment, he felt an indescribable satisfaction.

Isn't this the moment for which we practice and become stronger?

A weak person is not qualified to hug Queen Medusa, not to mention that Yao Yan is still thinking about her sister.

"...You are really shameless!" Cai Lin closed his eyes and took a breath, then glared at Yao Yan fiercely and said in a deep voice.

After sorting out her thoughts, she realized how shameless Yao Yan was. Perhaps this guy had already started to target her a long time ago, but he had always used the colorful butterfly as a cover. Now that he was stronger than her, he no longer concealed it.

"There's nothing wrong in being a little thick-skinned. If I don't take the initiative, will you? You can't just pretend nothing happened. I'm not such a casual person." Yao Yan was talking nonsense and was very eloquent.

"Have you ever thought about colorful butterflies?!"

Cai Lin's tone had a hint of struggle as she spoke in a deep voice.

"I never said I would give up on her, and Caidie also told me before that she hopes we can always be together. Don't you want to be with your sister forever? What's more, you and she have a unique connection. Do you think I will let you go to someone else?" Yao Yan looked at Cailin's charming purple eyes and said softly.

"I won't have anyone else!" Cai Lin made his final struggle.

"That's for sure, you are mine!" Yao Yan said domineeringly, and then he hugged Cai Lin and walked towards the soft couch beside him.

Don't ask why there is this thing in the secret room.

What is the ring used for? (End of this chapter)